Linlithgow Rangers invite local community to lend a hand

28 October 2008

Historic Scotland’s Ranger Service is once again inviting volunteers from the Linlithgow area to lend a hand with the important work it carries out around the Peel, the Royal Park beside the magnificent Linlithgow Palace.

Last autumn, volunteers responded to the service’s plea for help with a range of seasonal tasks including path clearing, grassland work, hedge planting and brush cutting. And the rangers are hoping that this year’s Volunteer Day - on Sunday 2nd November, from 1.00 to 4.00pm - will be just as well supported.

Ian Lewis, of Historic Scotland’s Ranger Service, says: “The assistance we received last year from the local community at our Volunteer Day event - and indeed throughout the year - was really great. Volunteers of all ages came along to help us out. Their enthusiastic hard work definitely made a huge difference and contributed greatly to our conservation work here.

“In the autumn there’s a lot of work to be done around Linlithgow Peel and Loch to maintain the land. Jobs like cutting and clearing away long grass and dying vegetation are time-consuming but really important because that encourages plant and wild flower growth, which supports the rich natural habitat for wildlife such as small mammals, birds and insects.”

“Our Volunteer Day not only enables local people who use and enjoy the Peel to learn about the work the Rangers Service does but also gives them a chance to put something back into this wonderful natural resource and get involved in its ongoing management.”

Local volunteers (suitably dressed for working outside, in waterproof clothing and sturdy footwear) are invited to come along at 1pm on Sunday to meet Ian just outside the Palace.

Ends.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The magnificent ruins of Linlithgow Palace - set in the Royal Park or Peel, beside Linlithgow Loch - are situated in Linlithgow, off the M9. Tel: 01506 842896. Admission: adult £5.20, child £2.60, concessions £4.20.

Linlithgow Loch is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its very large wildfowl population and abundance of wildlife.

Linlithgow Palace is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots in 1542 and her father, James V, who was born in 1512. All of the Stewart kings lived here, and numerous renovations to its grand facades and chambers were carried out as each monarch sought to create the ideal modern palace. A royal manor had been on the site of the Palace since the 12th century. It was transformed by the English into a modern secure stronghold around 1302 before returning to Scottish hands in 1314. A fire in 1424 destroyed the stronghold and burgh of Linlithgow and James I then started building the structure we have today. Under James IV, it developed into a courtyard palace, while James V and James VI made major contributions to what had become the finest palace of the Stewart kings.

The Palace is one of 345 splendid properties and sites throughout the country – from prehistoric dwellings and stone circles, castles and palaces, to abbeys and cathedrals - in the care of Historic Scotland. For details, please see: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/places

Historic Scotland is delighted to be supporting the 2009 Year of Homecoming with a series of initiatives including family trails, spectacular events and the creation of a Homecoming Pass for heritage attractions in association with the other heritage organisations.

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